Suspect arrested in June 5th shooting at Venice High School

A 21-year-old Venice man has been charged with killing a Venice High School student during a fight on the high school faculty parking lot June 5th, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officials said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Cymone Donyeal Turner Thursday, August 10th, with one count each of murder, attempted robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm, in connection with the shooting death of 17-year-old Agustin Contreras, police said.

Turner has been in police custody since June 9th on an unrelated charge of probation violation, LAPD Pacific Detective Mike DePasquale said.

With the assistance of the public and eyewitnesses to the incident, LAPD detectives identified Turner as the suspect who allegedly fatally shot Contreras, DePasquale said.

Police are looking for three or four additional suspects who were allegedly involved in the fatal shooting, which police believe was gang-related. The investigation is ongoing.

The June 5th shooting occurred shortly after school ended, when Contreras, a junior at Venice High who was not involved in gangs, attempted to protect his two younger brothers who were involved in a fight with at least five suspects, police said.

The suspects had attempted to take a neck chain from one of Contreras’s brothers, and when Contreras intervened, one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and shot him in the chest, police allege.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact LAPD Pacific homicide detectives at (310) 482-6313, or (877) 529-3855, on weekends and during off-hours.